Nation, world briefly: Civil rights lawsuit challenges random stops

NEW YORK — A civil liberties group sued Wednesday in a challenge to the NYPD’s practice of stopping hundreds of thousands of people each year for questioning, saying it is racially biased.

The New York Civil Liberties Union lawsuit lists New York Post reporter Leonardo Blair as the sole plaintiff, saying he was stopped and frisked by police officers as he walked from his car to his Bronx home last November. He was taken to a police station, where officers expressed surprise that though he was black, he was not from “the projects,” the lawsuit said. Blair, 28, has a master’s degree from Columbia University.

Sharpton arrested during protest

The Rev. Al Sharpton was arrested at the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday as he and hundreds of demonstrators blocked traffic to protest the acquittal of three detectives in the 50-bullet shooting of an unarmed black man on his wedding day. Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man’s fiancee were among about a dozen people arrested on disorderly conduct charges near the base of the bridge. Police led away demonstrators at several other bridges and tunnels in the city.

Idaho: Mexican flag case

A Twin Falls high school student says he may file a lawsuit against a physical education teacher who took a Mexican flag he had brought for Cinco de Mayo and put it in the garbage. Clint Straatman denies Froylan Camelo’s version of events but said he took the flag Monday because “white kids” might have hurt the 16-year-old. He said he put it in a garbage can because he had no place else to keep it. Camelo said that Straatman told him the flag would be returned at the end of the school day, but that Straatman taunted him instead.

Dallas: Oxygen use on planes

Federal regulators said Wednesday they will expand protections for passengers with disabilities to cover international flights by U.S. carriers and make it easier for travelers to use oxygen equipment. The Transportation Department said it will require airlines to let passengers use portable oxygen concentrators that are approved for use on aircraft. The department is also considering requiring airlines to provide medical oxygen to passengers upon request.

Los Angeles: Marine’s brig term

A Marine from Camp Pendleton who was sentenced to 15 years in the brig for killing an Iraqi civilian had his term reduced by four years, the man’s attorney said Wednesday. Rich Brannon, the civilian lawyer for Lawrence G. Hutchins III, said the reduction came after he appealed for clemency to Lt. Gen. Samuel T. Helland, Hutchins’ commanding general.

Michigan: No same-sex benefits

A same-sex marriage ban prevents governments and universities in Michigan from providing health insurance to the partners of gay workers, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The 5-2 decision affects up to 20 universities, community colleges, school districts and governments in Michigan with policies covering at least 375 gay couples.

Lebanon: Armed clashes in capital

Armed clashes in the Lebanese capital Wednesday between supporters of the Western-backed government and the Hezbollah-led opposition threatened Lebanon’s fragile calm. The fighting began with opponents of the government setting tires ablaze to block the capital’s main roads. Tensions quickly took a political character, with Sunni Muslim backers of the government and Shiite Muslim opposition supporters amassing in their respective neighborhoods and hurling stones at each other. In mixed Shiite-Sunni districts heavy gunfire erupted. There were no reported deaths but as many as a dozen injuries.

China: Virus sickening young kids

China announced Wednesday new rules that require health care providers to report all cases of a viral illness that has killed 28 children and sickened thousands in outbreaks across the country. There have been 15,799 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease this year, the official Xinhua News Agency said, cropping up in areas ranging from the tropical island province of Hainan in the south to Jilin province in the northeast and Yunnan province in the southwest.

Ireland: Cowen elected premier

Finance Minister Brian Cowen was elected Ireland’s new prime minister Wednesday, and he pledged to keep the country on its pro-European course through choppy economic waters. Cowen won in an 88-76 vote in Dail Eireann, Ireland’s parliament. He received support from all three parties in the government of his predecessor, Bertie Ahern, who stepped down Tuesday after 11 years in power.

Brazil: Death toll rises to 41

Rescue workers say they have retrieved another nine bodies from a boat that capsized in northern Brazil, raising the death toll on Wednesday to 41 in one of the worst accidents in decades along the Amazon river system. Rescuers expect to find still more bodies, said Deputy Fire Commander Col. Carlos Bacelar.